© 2024 Interlochen
CLASSICAL IPR | 88.7 FM Interlochen | 94.7 FM Traverse City | 88.5 FM Mackinaw City IPR NEWS | 91.5 FM Traverse City | 90.1 FM Harbor Springs/Petoskey | 89.7 FM Manistee/Ludington
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Belle Isle is revving up for this year’s Grand Prix, but critics say it’s time to hit the brakes.

Denker says there should be a balance between keeping the race on the island and addressing locals' concerns. Novacek disagrees, saying Belle Isle is, first and foremost a public park, not a race track.
Nic Redhead
/
Flickr - http://bit.ly/1xMszCg
Denker says there should be a balance between keeping the race on the island and addressing locals' concerns. Novacek disagrees, saying Belle Isle is, first and foremost a public park, not a race track.

Stateside's conversation with Bud Denker, Chairman of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, and Sandra Novacek, from the Belle Isle Concern group

The finishing touches are being put on the Detroit Grand Prix course. This weekend, June 1-3, racecars will be screaming around the track on Belle Isle.

But not everyone is excited about the Grand Prix's presence on the island. This weekend's race has stirred up a long-standing dispute between backers of the race and critics who don't want the racecars and crowds in the public park.

Bud Denker, Executive President of the Penske Automotive Group and Penske Racing and the Chairman of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, joined Stateside to talk about the upcoming weekend. We also talked to Sandra Novacek, from the Belle Isle Concern group, which doesn't want the park to be used for private events like the Grand Prix and Red Bull car races. 

Listen above to hear about the Grand Prix's history with Detroit, the race's economic impact on the area, and why critics' don't want the Grand Prix on the island. 

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast oniTunes,Google Play, or with thisRSS link)

Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

Read more about the Stateside.